Apprenticeship programs

Grow your own techs — and keep them.

You can’t hire your way out of the technician shortage. Apprenticeships bring young adults into the industry and fill your tech bench from the start — Mentor Mentee gives them the structure, accountability, motivation and mentor oversight to stay, progress and succeed.

Book a DemoSee the new apprentice funding
An apprentice’s pathway view showing progress, competencies earned, reps submitted and certifications

Every apprentice sees where they stand, what’s next and how far they’ve come.

New funding

Up to $3,500 for every registered apprentice you hire.

The ASE Education Foundation’s Transportation Automotive Technician Apprenticeship Incentive Fund — a $25 million U.S. Department of Labor grant — pays Registered Apprenticeship sponsors for apprentices who stay on the job.

The payments reward retention. A structured program that keeps apprentices engaged past 90 days and 9 months is exactly what Mentor Mentee is built to deliver.

And it more than pays for Mentor Mentee. For every apprentice you retain, the incentive covers the cost of the platform for that apprentice nearly twice over.

See ASE’s sponsor requirements ↗

How the incentive pays out, per apprentice

Day 1

Hire the apprentice into an approved occupation

$2,500

after 90 days on the job

+$1,000

at 9 months on the job

~2x

More than enough to fund Mentor Mentee. Each retained apprentice’s incentive covers a year of the platform nearly twice over — so the program that keeps them can pay for itself.

Open to Registered Apprenticeship sponsors: individual employers, dealer associations, independent shop associations, franchise operators and more. Approved occupations include automotive, truck/diesel and collision technicians.

Program details from the ASE Education Foundation. Mentor Mentee is not the program administrator; contact ASE for eligibility and application questions.

The problem

Informal programs lose apprentices before they ever become productive.

Shops invest in recruiting apprentices, then hand them a learn-as-you-go experience. Without a clear plan, real oversight or proof of progress, the investment walks out the door.

01

No plan, so they stall

Apprentices don’t get the training they need, which leads to frustration, mistakes and early exits.

02

“They’re doing great” isn’t proof

Verbal check-ins from mentors tend to be uniformly positive and hard to verify — so real gaps surface too late.

03

Turnover hits hardest at the start

Unsupported programs contribute to high apprentice turnover — and every early exit is recruiting money lost.

What apprentices need

What every apprentice needs to succeed. One platform that delivers it.

Apprentices stay when they know what to do, know it’s being checked, can see themselves progressing and have someone experienced in their corner.

Structure

Know exactly what to get done

A defined pathway from apprentice to Master, with ASE-aligned task lists and OEM career paths, replaces learn-as-you-go.

In Mentor Mentee: career pathways and task lists

Accountability

Get it done right

Apprentices log reps on real work, with photos and video. Nothing counts until a mentor confirms it was done correctly.

In Mentor Mentee: logged reps and mentor sign-off

Motivation

See the progress they’re making

Every earned competency moves them visibly closer to the next level — a reason to keep going on the hard days.

In Mentor Mentee: personal snapshot and progress tracking

Run a program that holds up

What a legitimate apprenticeship program looks like.

Plenty of shops advertise an apprenticeship. The programs that keep apprentices — and stand up to scrutiny — share the same building blocks. Mentor Mentee puts them in one place.

  • An assigned mentor for every apprentice, experienced in the work
  • Objective evaluations that track and grade progress on real tasks
  • Regular checkpoints — like 90-day reviews — backed by a documented history, not memory
  • Mentor accountability, with apprentice feedback to confirm grading is accurate
  • A recognized credential at the end, such as ASE certification
Skill Set Progress Report showing each apprentice’s completed and incomplete competencies by system

Client stories

Dealer groups building stronger apprenticeships.

Carter Myers Automotive

Carter Myers Automotive adds structure to a proven apprenticeship.

CMA’s Department of Labor–registered apprenticeship has graduated 26 technicians. They chose Mentor Mentee to move from a learn-as-you-go model to a steady, structured path.

“As we continue to grow, adding more structure and accountability to the process can help keep our apprentices on a steady path while giving our service managers another level of support.”
— Beth Lucchesi, Talent Acquisition Specialist
Read the press release →
Jeff Wyler Automotive Family

Jeff Wyler replaces verbal check-ins with objective evaluations.

Before structured tracking, Jeff Wyler relied on mentors’ verbal assessments — almost always positive, and hard to verify. Now each apprentice is evaluated every 90 days, building a documented history that verifies progress and holds mentors accountable.

  • 90Days between objective competency evaluations
  • ✓Apprentice feedback confirms mentors are grading accurately
  • ✓ASE certification as the recognized credential
Zimbrick Honda

Zimbrick Honda accelerates technician development.

With 22 apprentices and a nearly 1:5 mentor-to-mentee ratio, Zimbrick Honda replaced flag sheets and personal assessments with data, structure and accountability.

72%

mentee retention, 10% above industry average*

+28%

labor sales

+11%

effective labor rate

*Source: NADA Workforce Study · Results vary by shop.

“Pays for itself if you do it correctly.”
— Rich Baker, Parts and Service Director
Read the case study →

For program leaders

Every evaluation on the record.

Mentor Mentee builds each apprentice’s progress history automatically, rep by rep. Program leaders can validate training, spot who’s stalling and hold mentors accountable — at every checkpoint, across every store.

  • Competency evaluations tied to real work, with ratings and notes
  • A documented progress history for every apprentice
  • Reports that show who’s on track and who needs support
  • Visibility across mentors and locations for dealer groups
A mentor reviewing an apprentice’s logged rep with a rating, notes and photos

Apprenticeship questions

Does Mentor Mentee replace our apprenticeship program?

No. Mentor Mentee is the operating system that runs inside your program — giving it structure, mentor accountability and a documented record of each apprentice’s progress.

Can Mentor Mentee help us qualify for the new apprenticeship funding?

The incentive is administered by the ASE Education Foundation and requires a Registered Apprenticeship program. Mentor Mentee isn’t part of the application, but the payments reward apprentices who stay 90 days and 9 months — and keeping apprentices engaged and progressing is what the platform is built for. Contact apprenticeship@ase.com for eligibility questions.

Who evaluates an apprentice’s competency?

A designated mentor verifies competency by reviewing the apprentice’s hands-on work and confirming they can perform the task correctly.

Do apprentices have to start at the beginning of the pathway?

No. Each tech starts at the level that fits their skills, and the same pathway continues past the apprenticeship all the way to Master.

What does it cost?

Less than $5 a day for each mentee technician.

Book a Demo

Build an apprenticeship program that keeps your apprentices.

See how Mentor Mentee gives every apprentice structure, accountability, motivation and a mentor in their corner — and gives you the record to prove it.

Explore the platform →

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